Love lessons - revisited
by TheDiamondRose06
Summary: A revised look at love lesson's set 10 years in the future.


I own nothing, all rights go to Jacqueline Wilson.

Love lessons revisited.

Chapter 1 - A welcome visitor.

Prudence King smiled and shook the hand of yet another member of the upper class society, while they congratulated her warmly on the success of her newest art exhibit. inside her head she was screaming, and dying to get home, slip into her slippers and watch mediocre TV on her sofa. Once they'd moved away, she sighed heavily and glanced down at the elegant watch on her wrist. At least another hour. She fiddled with the clasp on her watch which was coming undone and causing pain impatiently.

"Congratulations." A male voice above her said "This is a fantastic piece."

"Oh, Thank you." She replied, her back to him, without glancing up."I'm Glad you like it. Sorry, I'll be with you in a moment. Blasted thing never stays closed long, it was more money that it was worth"

"I wouldn't have thought it was really your taste Prue." The amused voice of the faceless stranger said.

She frowned at the "Prue." She hadn't been called that since high school, it was always Prudence or Miss. King

.

"And what would you know about my tastes..." She said finally looking up. The end of her sentence trailed away, as she studied the face of the man in front of her in shock.

"A lot." Rax replied. "Hi Prue."

Prue didn't reply. She didn't move. She just continued to stare up at the man she hadn't seen she was 14 years old, 10 years ago. "I'm dreaming." She thought to herself. How many times had she dreamed this moment? She studied his face. The beard was gone, he was clean shaven now and his face had barely aged in the 10 years they'd been apart. He had to be at least 36 now surely? There was no earring in his ear, and he was dressed differently to how she'd ever seen him, although maybe that was the formality of the occasion? His eyes were the same though, deep brown and holding a smile that didn't stop at his lips.

All at once she couldn't do it. Couldn't look at him, couldn't be near him. She'd resisted consciously thinking about him for 10 years, forcing herself into physical exertion or painting whenever her mind threatened to stray to warm thoughts of him which inevitably brought only pain and heartache.

She turned and started towards to the door as quickly as her tight evening gown and high shoes would allow as heads turned and whispers started, wondering where the star of the show was going.

"Prue!" Rax called after her. "Prue, please wait!"

She ignored him and carried on briskly walking until she reached the quite cool of the nighttime air outside the exhibit. She wouldn't be missed. The posh snobs upstairs would continue their mind numbing conversations and drinking their expensive champagne without her. She shuddered in a breath, wrapping her arms around herself against the cold, as the tears she had held in came, burning down her cold cheeks.

The door to her right opened and Rax stepped out, a worried look on his face on his face as his eyes anxiously searched the street for her. She knew he couldn't see her from where he was standing, and she watched him with interest for a few seconds, taking in his smart suit and neatly trimmed black hair.

"Prue!" he called down the street."Prudence!"

"You sound like you're shouting for Harry again." she said quietly, barely loud enough for him to hear.

Rax's head turned at the sound of her voice and his face flooded with visible relief as he approached her, his nerves apparent even in the dimly lit street.

"You know, that wasn't exactly the reaction I was hoping for in there." He said after a few moments, gesturing back towards the building.

"What kind of a reaction were you hoping for after 10 years Mr. Raxberry?" She said meaningfully, studying his face for a reaction, and feeling a smug satisfaction when her words obviously hit home.

"Don't call me that." He said quietly, taking another step towards her.

"Call you what? Mr. Raxberry? Oh you're right, I forgot, your not my art teacher anymore are you? You know Rax, I'm surprised I even remember you!" She said in mock surprise "What was it you said to me? Someone would ask me about my first love and I'd struggle to even remember your name.

"

"I shouldn't have said that you." Rax replied quietly, his eyes on her. "I was just trying to make the situation easier for us both."

Neither of them said anything for a few seconds. Rax drank in the sight of her. That wild, curly hair was pinned up tight against her head in a tight bun, so tight it must have been hurting her. He fought the urge to unpin it, instead noting how much more grownup she looked. Part of him was still expecting a 14 year old girl in a red and white tablecloth dress. The tight green dress she was wearing contrasted well against her dark hair and olive skin, and hugged her figure tightly, emphasis her slender figure and shapely breasts. She certainly looked like a woman now, a breathtakingly beautiful one at that.

"Why are you here?" Prue asked, snapping Rax out of his reverie, and she fought back the urge to smile as he blushed, realizing he'd been staring.

"I work in advertising now. My company produced the flyer for your exhibit, when I saw your name...I wanted to see you."

"Why?"

"Why? Why what?"

"Why did you want to see me? It's been 10 years. You can't go in there and grade each piece you know.'

"I know. I wanted to see you because..." Rax stopped, trying to find the words. he'd thought about how he would do this every day for years, playing out her reaction, all the things he'd say to her, all the things they'd do...and now he couldn't find out the words. "It's now or never" he thought to himself.

"I wanted to see you because I haven't stopped thinking about you for 10 years Prue, wondering where you were, what you were doing, if you were married with kids by now, if you still thought about me...and when your flyer landed on my desk and I saw you were still so close after all this time, I couldn't resist coming. I even went to your old bookshop, only to find it was closed down. I wanted to see you because..." Rax took a deep breath, preparing to say the words he had waited to say for 10 years "Because I love you Prudence King. I've loved you for 10 years and I needed to tell you."

Prue's heart skipped a beat at his words, the words she longed to hear for so long, that she never thought would actually ever come from his lips. Rax loved her. Rax wanted her. Rax was back for HER after all this time. But...

"What about Marianne? and Harry and Lily?" Prue asked, dreading his answer.

"Marianne and I divorced about a year after you left Wentworth. I ended it with her, it was too cruel to her to carry it on. I couldn't bear to look at her or be around her, or even sleep in the same bed much less...I told her I wanted a divorce and to be honest I think she was relieved. And as for Harry and Lily I see them every other weekend. Lily is 10 going on 11 now and Harry has just turned 14...the same age you were when...anyway, the point is I don't have a family anymore. I'm not your teacher and you're an adult." Rax said, his meaning of her being an adult now perfectly clear.

Prue said nothing, a thousand thoughts slamming through her mind at once. Shock at him being here, excitement at his admission of love, and relief that Marianne was no longer in the picture.

Rax stepped towards her, pulling her into his arms and holding her close to him as her own arms snaked around his waist. She closed her eyes and sighed with contentment, as her frantic mind eased, and she thought of nothing but him, the warmth of his chest and the sound of his heart beating against her ears.

Rax inhaled deeply, his head in her hair as the smell of apples mingled with her sweet smelling perfume filled his nostrils. He let go of her back, his hands reaching for her hair as he started to unpin her tight bun, smiling as her wild, almost black hair fell loose around her shoulders.

"That's much better." He whispered, mostly to himself, and Prue raised her head to look at him.

"Rax I..I love you." She said, tears twinkling in her eyes.

"I love you to." Rax replied, as he lowered his head to kiss her. Finally.

Prue's heart skipped a beat as his soft lips met hers, coaxing her mouth open, his hand on her cheek. She kissed him back deeply, the long since extinguished fireworks in her stomach reigniting, sending her back to a place she had long since forgotten. She felt rather than heard Rax's low moan, as every thought of her from the last 10 years intertwined into this one blissful moment, her in his arms and his mouth on hers.

Prudence pulled away, and looked into his eyes, and he saw the love reflected there that he was feeling in his chest.

"So what happens now?" She asked him quietly.

"Well, for starters, let's go get a drink. We've got a lot of catching up to do..."

To be continued...Please let me know if you like it so I know whether to carry on the series.


End file.
